Sump pumps and ejector pumps are widely used throughout the world in sumps, basins, or pits of structures (such as buildings and houses) to pump water or waste from sanitary collection sumps, basins, or pits to prevent flooding of these structures. Many structures have multiple sumps, basins, or pits and multiple sump or ejector pumps to pump water or waste from sanitary collection sumps, basins, or pits to prevent flooding.
Many different types of sump and ejector pumps are commercially available. Sump and ejector pumps typically run on AC power (such as though a conventional electrical current source) or on DC power (such as though a battery). Sump and ejector pumps are typically submersible in the sump, basin or pit and typically include a pump and an automatic float switch. The automatic float switch turns the pump on when the water level in the sump, basin, or pit rises above a predetermined level and shuts the pump off when the water level in the sump, basin, or pit is below the predetermined level (as a result of pump operation). Automatic mechanical and electronic float switches are well-known in the industry for use in controlling the level of water in the sump, basin, or pit and are commonly are referred to as float, tether, or electronic sensor type switches.
Sump and ejector pumps can fail to operate or fully operate due to many different reasons such as a partial or complete malfunction, breakage, or breakdown of one or more components of the pump (such as the switch or impeller blade), a power source outage or disconnection to the pump, or a blockage in the pump. Sump and ejector pumps are prone to such operational failures due to the environment in the sump, basin, or pit that they operate in, due to the fact that they sometimes sit for long periods of time without operating, and due to the fact that they sometimes frequently turn on and off.
When a sump or ejector pump fails to operate or fully operate, the water level can rise in the sump, basin, or pit and ultimately may lead to a flood in the location of the structure near the pump, in significant parts of the structure, or throughout the entire structure. Even minor amounts of flooding can cause significant damage to a structure (or the contents therein), which is typically expensive to repair or replace. It is thus very important that sump and ejector pumps properly operate at all times and that non-operating, malfunctioning, broken, or blocked pumps are quickly repaired or replaced. Since sump and ejector pumps are in the sumps, basins, or pits, regular maintenance or maintenance checks on these pumps are too often not preformed.
To address these issues, many sump and ejector pump failure detection systems have been proposed. Many of these proposed failure detection systems are built into the pump itself. Various proposed pump failure detection systems detect when a pump is failing to operate in a normal mode or operate at all. For example, various proposed pump failure detection systems detect one or more of the following: (a) a failure of electrical power condition; (b) a jammed or blockage condition; (c) a dry running condition; (d) a stuck float condition; (e) an inadequate pumping rate condition; and (f) a switch failure condition.
One problem with various proposed sump and ejector pump failure detection systems is that by the time that failure detection system has detected the pump failure, it is often too late to fix or replace the pump and thus too late to prevent water damage to the structure (or it contents) due to rising water levels or flooding.
Another problem with various proposed sump and ejector pump failure detection systems is that they have not been widely commercialized due to costs, complications, actual operational effectiveness, or for other reasons.
One widely employed solution to these issues is to provide a back-up pump which is usually powered by one or more batteries. While battery powered back-up pumps can prevent certain flooding when a main AC powered pump is not operational or fully operational, such back-up pump systems increase the cost and complication of the structures, only operate for the life of the batteries, and are also subject to their own failures.
Another proposed solution to these issues is to provide water sensor alarms adjacent to the sump or ejector pumps or in proximity to the sumps, basins, or pits. While such sensor alarms can sense that a sump or ejector pump is not operational or fully operational due to rising water levels, these systems often detect the problem too late to fix or replace the pump and thus too late to prevent water damage to the structure (or it contents) due to rising water levels or flooding.
Another problem with various proposed sump or ejector pump failure detection systems is that they are often configured for specific pumps and are often not configured to be used with the wide variety of different types of commercially available pumps.
Another problem with various proposed sump and ejector pump failure detection systems is that they are difficult and/or time consuming to install.
Another problem with various proposed sump and ejector pump failure detection systems is that they are complicated and thus subject to additional types of failures.
Another problem with various proposed sump and ejector pump failure detection systems is that they are relatively expensive to manufacture, purchase, or install.
Accordingly, there is a need to solve these problems.